2024 GABS Survey

If you are currently employed outside of your TA or RA, how do you feel it impacts your research, TA or RA employment, work-life balance, or other aspects of your life (e.g., time commitment, opportunity costs, mental or physical bandwidth, etc.)?
Having to seek outside employment makes work-life balance impossible. However, it is not possible to survive on the stipend provided.
It has increased my ability to look at details
-prolonged my degree -physical toll
my employment works nicely with my research efforts. does impact my mental and physical state as I always feel drained or tired
I'm not sure yet. This upcoming summer will be the first test to see if it does. Moving forward as I get further along in my research, it will become too much

If GABS were to create a list of funding opportunities for graduate students, are there any particular grants or fellowships you would recommend adding?
NSF GRFP, NSF PRFP
SSE Grants; Lewontin Early Award, Rosemary Grant award
Fellowships for grant writing, Slocum Lunz Foundation
Grants for international students
somthing for non-US resident
OSNAP https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-conducted-at-nimh/scientific-director/office-of-fellowship-and-training/outstanding-scholars-in-neuroscience-award-program
NIH F31 and NSF-GRFP (for first and second year students)
ESIP - Earth Science Information Partners Community Fellowship
I have an extensive working list (48 grants) that I'd be happy to share.
Howard Hughes Gilliam Fellowship
F. John Vernberg Bicentennial Fellowship in Marine Science (not just for marine science students, but work must be related to marine science and completed at Baruch Marine Field Lab)
Sigma Xi Amnat ASN student research award McFadden Professors program
None currently, but willing to help look for additional opportunities
Not specifically - I might recommend that for those in which it's relevant looking through the opportunities offered by the Smithsonian or National Institute of Health (NIH)
The NIH has a graduate level grant --> Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)

If you disagree with any of the above statements or have any suggestions on how GABS or the department can improve the financial experience of its graduate students please provide those here.
Provide a stipend that can cover basic living expenses. Pay a stipend that scales with previous teaching/research experience.
They can actually pay us in accordance with inflation and rising housing costs instead of waiting to be embarrassed by another report on biology stipends across universities that we were in the bottom 5% of
Stipend was increased somewhat recently, but cost of living also took a huge jump. I and other students have experienced some monetary stress.
I feel as though most students are not paid enough to have any savings. Thus when emergencies occur we end up either in debt or struggling to survive.
While I said I somewhat agree above, there are still areas that could be improved. It was a nice increase in the stipend, that was just a start and it still doesn't match the cost of living in Columbia. Very rarely am I able to actually put any of my paycheck into my savings account, and when I do, it normally doesn't get to stay there very long after utilities the next month.
Increase graduate student stipend to account for the average cost of living in Columbia
stipend somewhat depends on the PI, however the basic stipend is very low. So it's a matter of being lucky which I feel it's not fair. I think that the minimum stipend should be higher, then up to the PIs if they want to supplement their students
1. Adjust the stipend according to the inflation rate.
I feel my lab has decent knowledge of the grant opportunities that exist, but some people in the department aren't aware and would be helpful having a list of opportunities.
paying semester fees, increasing stipend
A slight pay increase to keep up with higher prices, especially housing.
I think we can improve the flow of information about financial matters to graduate students. This should include in-advance explanation of costs that graduate students should expect to pay (types and amounts of fees, etc), a better system to track reimbursement requests and paid reimbursements, consistent and earlier information about how to apply for and receive internal funds, etc.
increased stipend
It is not for GABS to decide, but with rising cost of living, I do not feel that the current stipend keeps pace with inflation costs.
I think that GABS has been doing such a great job with making advancements for the graduate student community in our department. That being said, I think the department needs to address inequities in stipends for students especially those in different labs. I think that those students in well funded labs should have their stipends supplemented by their PIs whereas those in less funded labs should have their stipends supplemented by the department.
I think we actually should be paid adequately. Why does Chemistry get paid 30k while we can barely make ends meet at 26k. We do just as much work. And are even expected to be here sometimes 7 days a week. We additionally have multiple jobs other than just doing research.
I do feel supported, I do think there is still room for growth and higher stipends, but I recognize that I am fully supported across semesters and have health insurance
The fees at the beginning of each semester are confusing. For example, paying a technology fee but I do not use university owned technology while only taking research credits.

If you are less than satisfied with these school social or service activities, could you please explain why (e.g., quality, quantity, or other aspects of the activities?)? Please be explicit.
Events feel exclusionary. A greater diversity of social events (not centered on drinking) could increase camaraderie within the grad students. I think a big event at the beginning of each semester could bring all the students together (before everyone gets too busy). A more casual event where food is provided could bring people together more.
I think there could be more GABS social activities, particularly early in the Fall semesters when we welcome most new graduate students. For many grad students, these events are their first and sometimes only social connections with their academic or Columbia, SC communities. However, the burden of ideating and hosting these events should be spread more evenly, so it doesn't fall solely on the social chair.
I wish there was more/ more awareness of them
There are a few volunteering or social opportunities for international students.
I'm interested in service activities that help our local community - we have this already in regard to things like family helping families and even stem heroes but I think there should be events similar to joining organizations that help feed the hungry. Other things might be assisting with mutual aid type services - for instance we could have helped raised funds for people hit by the hurricane in western north carolina! Things like this I think could help go a long way in making sure we're doing what we can for our local community.
I feel like I am mostly satisfied, and understand it is hard to organize events. But I think where I would enjoy seeing changes would be having a service event that is more regular (like a monthly event such as a reoccurring cleanup, or volunteering with the community garden) I also think there could be more of a push to get the MCDB side involved, maybe by volunteering at a hospital in some way (probably would need to ask for their input since I am not sure what exactly would encourage them most). For social events I think I would be pleased to see more things happen on campus, I believe one reason some people may not attend all events is their inability to drive to off-campus destinations. On-campus social events could be a good way to increase inclusivity.
Many of GABS social opportunities are mostly environment related, hiking, baruch etc. While that's great if you enjoy those things, not every event should be catered to the EEB side. And the school does not do a good job of announcing events for graduate students. Most events are for undergrads.

If you attended any of the social events hosted by the department in the last year, what are your thoughts (e.g., which did you attend, did you enjoy the event(s), and what made them enjoyable or not)?*
Really enjoyed the department holiday events! New student event this year was not in an close to adequately sized room for the amount of people.
data dinner was fun, would be cool to reach out to the saturday main street market to have a GABS presence there to present on USC research
I do wish we had more opportunities to interact with faculty at happy hours and such.
I tend to enjoy the social events that are more like a get together than a full out party. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the parties too, but I have been happy seeing more events offered this year that aren't just house parties!
The Christmas Party is always nice!
Parties feel exclusionary, most grad students do not attend. Some alternate activities could be bbq in the park, drinks/snacks on Friday after seminar.
I have been to several of the holiday parties that are hosted and enjoyed them. I enjoyed getting to talk to grad students I haven't met before
I attend most, and I enjoy most. I would be in favor of the winter holiday party being a little more amenable to mingling (perhaps fewer or scattered tables). More consistent after-seminar gatherings might help to establish a more friendly and collaborative culture too.
Pumpkin painting was fun
The haloween party was great
New graduate student welcome lunch- I thought it was nice (as a new graduate student) to be welcomed and have lunch Not sure if this is department hosted but Journal Club! Go journal club
I really enjoyed the Palmetto trail cleanup event. It got members outside and also allowed for the beautification of a recreational area.
I enjoyed the pumpkin carving / decorating party and the GABS social hour at Tios.
I did attend many social events and I did enjoy them. Similar to the above, I think on-campus events, or smaller (more regular) events could be a positive way to increase participation. I think it could be fun to do weekly drop-ins at restaurants near campus for drinks and snacks, or even when the weather is nice have a social hour on campus at the end of the week. I think there is a really good crowed that shows up to events, but I have noticed that it is usually the same people going to them. I think we should work on ways to encourage more people to at least occasionally show up. Part of this could be that many events are advertised as a party (where people can drink); while anyone could show up and decide to drink or not, I think it would be nice to have some more social events that are advertised as a time just to hangout (i.e. like the board game nights) so that people that do not drink feel more included.
I think GABS does a really nice job of creating a welcoming environment at each event and offers a variety. I can't attend all events but I think there's a good amount offered to us. In particular I enjoyed the holiday party (Chloe is always a wonderful host), tbe department holiday party (nice to have some food + drinks and a time to catch up), I didn't get to go to Bulls Island this year but enjoy that, and think the board game nights are a really nice relaxed event.

If you did not attend any of the social events hosted by the department in the last year, what are your thoughts (e.g., is there a change that would make you more likely to attend any events)?
I find that attending these social events can sort of being kinda exclusionary - people tend to stick with the people their most familiar with. Which is not exclusive to our department but evident of a more societal thing itself. But, if there were activities that encouraged 'team building' amongst the students, especially those in MCDB & EEB, then I'd be more interested.
I want to attend i just have a busy schedule and so it's hard to incorporate that into it
I am currently too overwhelmed with schooling and research to feel comfortable taking time for social settings

What kinds of career building workshops would you be interested in attending/participating in?
Doesn't matter. No time to attend.
does the department offer any such workshops? The university does, and I attend most CTE and library based seminars, but other than invited speaker seminars, does the dept host any such things?
How to find a post-doc, how to reach out to collaborators.
Job opportunities after graduate school
Do we have any to begin with? I would love a more honest insight into what the application for post docs and academic positions looks like as well as what the positions look like once you have accepted the role. Like, what are the things we as students don't typically see that have to be done?
Career pathways seminars with PhDs holding positions outside of academia
I do not think dept of Biological Sciences has ever had a career-building workshop. I would like to have workshops on how to find and approach both postdoc and industry job positions. Can the department also invite alumni working in various fields (science and/or non-science)? It would be great to have them talk to grad students who, at the end of their degree program, may decide to continue with science or not.
Industry career speakers (similar to what Pharmacy does)
Anything related to future career options / how to get a post-doc position.
Having a seminar or workshop of jobs outside of academia and any advice for applying
never heard of any through the department only the ones through university so any through our department would be nice.
Rather than full courses, which require substantial investments from both faculty and students, little 3-4 hour or full-day workshops would be nice, perhaps toward the end of a semester (after classes finish). I would have appreciated one on grant-writing, data analysis or other technical skills (e.g., using R, Latex, etc.), manuscript reviewing, or others.
Industry positions speakers or fairs
I am not aware of any that currently are offered. I would like some sort of certificate in teaching
Workshops focused on careers outside of academia
Poster design and presentation
Training workshops (learning new techniques, etc.), Career Advice/Options Workshops, and Grant opportunity workshops from the Department would all be helpful (and potentially geared toward MCDB or EEB and not a combined seminar).
I am interested in attending workshops focused on securing a postdoctoral position after completing my Ph.D.
I'm interested in workshops that emphasize mental health while working in the sciences / academia. Things like overcoming impostor syndrome, anti-racism trainings, preventing burnout, etc.
I am not sure I have any good ideas of what I would be looking for, this is probably my own shortcoming on looking into what is offered.
Interview skills, preparation for post docs/job hunt

If you would be more interested in or willing to attend or participate in invited speaker seminars pending particular changes, please indicate what kinds of changes you would like to see (e.g., opening the floor to graduate student questions before faculty have the opportunity; increased advisor attendance or indication that attending would be a productive use of your time; an increased voice in helping choose speakers to invite, etc.).
Nothing really, I attend the ones that interest me and don't the ones that do not.
It would be cool to have a grad student Q and A after the seminar instead of before (lunch) so then we could ask more about what their work experience is.
I attend majority of the speakers talks as it is, but it would be nice if there was more of a push from the department that PIs need to attend the talks and that they should push their students to attend as well. I feel like many students don't feel like they can go unless it is specific to their area of interest because their PI isn't going... this is what needs to change.
Increased voice in helping choose speakers. Lack of MCDB speakers lately
I like the current way the seminars are, but recently, there haven't been many seminars focused on MCDB. I would recommend having rotations between different research areas in the department. Also, need better communication on the schedule for the speakers/seminars/grad student lunches. We mostly find out on the day of and it could be one of the reasons for poor attendance.
Increasing amount and variety of MCDB speakers
More speakers being from MCDB fields, since I feel most are EEB
Increased boice in helping choose speakers. Speakers are heavily skewed towards MCDB, yet most graduate students and faculty in attendance are from EEB.
Similar to what SEOE does, we should have coffee/tea, and cookies (or some food option) prior to seminar. SEOE staff organizes it for them each week and it's a really nice time to chat with folks in the department. This could be a better way to bridge EEB and MCDB folks.
All of the options suggested as examples would be great, particularly opening the floor to grad student questions first, and better communication about who is visiting and when (ahead of time).
increased voce in helping choose speakers to invite
I felt that the MCDB half of the biological sciences department was greatly underrepresented in the GABS choice for seminar speakers. Of the 5 options, 4 were EEB and one was MCDB. I believe that the neurobiology department is even further underrepresented, as the only neuroscientific talk was almost exclusively about genetics. I also think that many more people would attend if snacks and/or coffee were provided for students.
Lunches and Seminars in the same day are difficult. It makes it difficult to actually get anything done in lab. Snacks/Happy hours after may work better for graduate students? Also very few MCDB speakers this year.
I would like the invited speakers to be more diverse. Specifically, I think it's important we invite not only scientists from diverse backgrounds but also those who can give a mini workshop on things like land education, anti-racism, mental health and the like.
I do like the suggestions you already provided, I think having an option in helping choose would be really cool.
It would be great if we had more MCDB related speakers. It seems like all speakers every year for the last 4 years that I have been here are always EEB speakers. Again, they are great people, but as a MCDB focused student I am not interested to hear about someone who studies evolution in butterflies, bugs, or plants. It's repetative. I'd enjoy listening to someone who does regenerative biology, or works on neurodegenerative diseases.
the seminars are tailored toward MCDB. I would like to see more EEB representation in the department seminars.
At times I feel the speakers field isn't relevant, this isn't reflective of the quality, just that it can be quite far removed from my own work. I don't have a great solution as our department spans a diversity of topics which at times have little overlap. I also appreciate that SEOE and previous departments offer snack + coffee/tea before seminars. I think this brings a nice atmosphere and a little pick me up before a seminar
Regarding attendance: Most of the time it is the same people that attend departmental seminar each week, and this is not the majority of the department.

If you disagreed with any of the above statements related to feeling supported by the department, please elaborate on particular issues or possible solutions, if you wish.
I mean, is a PI supposed to provide emotional support? They provide a small bump to our stipend from grant money which is nice.
I was often left to prepare material for all the other TAs despite not being a senior TA. The coordinator would leave things until last minute/ forget details/materials or not communicate clearly what we should be teaching.
I think the department can do more when it comes to mental health initiatives for both students and staff. Our department tends to stay away from discussing any aspects of mental health but it is evident that majority of us are under intense stress and while the GABS social events are helpful, the department needs to do something to help. This could be something as simple as sending out little notes of support in our physical mailboxes (because we all get too many emails as it is) or maybe have a department drop-in in 403 like once a month or something with coffee and doughnuts just to get people to talk interact and not think about their work for 10 minutes... things like that. I'm sure there are plenty of other ideas out there, these are just a few that I felt could fit in this box!
When i was a TA at the beginning of my PhD there was a lack of training in how to teach material to students and grading to match that of other TAs. I feel like as students starting in the program, more structure would be better. Since the handbook is not strict with deadlines, courses, and available resources, it can be hard to make progress in the program and navigate resources that the department has. Information can be very advisor-based with all students getting differing information
financially is ok emotionally I think we should have more support
I feel emotionally supported by grad students in the department and, at times, by my advisor too. However, there is no emotional support other than this available in the department if that is the question. Also, I am not a TA anymore, but I used to be one. And when we started here, it was stressful as there was no training or no clear plans for teaching. I say this because the TA meetings I had at the previous school made sure that we all would teach and grade in the same way to avoid any discrepancies across lab sections. This also ensured that the quality of teaching was maintained across sections despite having different TAs.
Not having classes overlap with TA positions - there are very few classes offered and yet conflict with some of the TA positions. This could easily be solved by having graduate courses on MW and TA courses on TTH. Some lab coordinators provide more support than others. Having more shared material between students, could save so much time when teaching labs like 101, 102, 301 - new TAs are wasting so much time making materials that could be distributed by lab coordinators.
I do not think it useful to institute a required curriculum without offering more course options, such as grant/manuscript writing, data analysis, and broad but graduate level ecology or evolution courses. I would be immensely frustrated if I was required to take courses like bioinformatics or other courses that are specialized to a field or sub-field, or MCDB-focused (as an EEB student). I also do not think that there was sufficient communication prior to arriving on campus (even though I read the entirety of the grad handbook). I had to miss the 'orientation day' for a conference, and none of that material was provided over email or otherwise. Hence, I had to spend a lot of time figuring things out on my own (how to navigate travel and reimbursements, what fees to expect to pay, what physical resources are available to me within the department or on campus, etc.) which could have been easily disseminated in a welcome packet. Lastly, I am very happy with the support provided by the lab coordinator for the course I currently TA, but I have been very dissatisfied in past semesters. The expectation to create new material, even as other TAs have already or are also currently creating such material, is redundant and a waste of time. There are other such inefficiencies and expectations that make TAing an inordinate time commitment and worsen the quality of education to undergraduate students.
My research advisor is struggling financially, so there is little to no financial support from her. Additionally, The lab coordinator for BIO101L has changed to course to make it more demanding but adding 4 possible re-do opportunities for each student (grading everything is not feasible)
The employee onboarding process was a little stressful and didn't feel properly communicated. I enjoy having the freedom to choose my own classes with my advisor.
It would be nice if someone actually knew what was required in terms of paperwork and similar things for each step, and then communicated that to us as we reached a step. I am never sure of what to do because what happens is often different than what is said in the student handbook we were given
I think the preparation is poorly managed, I began my class without any introductions about how to use the BB or resources in classrooms.
The lab coordinator for BIOL 101L Dr. Allie Culver has made the grading system extremely convoluted where students never know what their final grade is and where they can fail the class by being absent for a 10 point assignment even if they have perfect scores on the rest of their assignments.
I think there could be more standardization in labs - i.e. making rubrics, updating worksheets (there are old and new versions in the sandbox), standardizing powerpoints (and going over main takeaways in TA meetings). I think the idea right now is that this is on the TAs to do and share with each other, but I believe the coordinator should lay the majority of the ground work and TAs can meet up and make small adjustments after that. For emotional support, I think we do have a really positive department and faculty and students are very genuine and nice people. But past the surface level I do not actually see anything happening. At this moment I do not have a suggestion of what could be done, but it seems to me that everyone is fine with saying we have a great group of people (but that does not mean everyone is happy). You can be surrounded by the nicest people and still feel isolated and insecure. Grad school is scary and people are afraid to admit when they feel like they are behind or worry that they know less than everyone else. These are much less discussed and probably really weigh on people (I know I am guilty of these thoughts). I wish I could offer a solution, but it is something I would need to think about more.
I selected somewhat disagree for the department supporting me emotionally, I may have been unclear here. I don't think the department needs to support me emotionally directly but I think we could have more resources for mental health (though I may just be lacking knowledge on the subject)

If you disagreed with any of the above statements related to feeling safe being a member of the department, please provide any helpful details or specifics if you wish.
I would not feel comfortable asking for emotional or financial support from the department. Whenever stipends or reimbursements have been brought up the subject is not always received well by faculty.
I do not feel comfortable talking about financial support as I have personally experienced a backlash when stipend or reimbursement issues were brought up.
More faculty members from underrepresented groups and explicit support from current faculty could increase feelings of safety.
Despite feeling safe here, I think we could provide more visibility and tangible support to underrepresented or marginalized members. This could include training for field safety (navigation, first aid, important info to provide to others accompanying us, such as work expectations and location of restrooms, etc.), even if provided outside the department and just coordinated by the department. I also like the idea of a board near the department office (like the grad student board) with photos/names of faculty and grad students who are out and comfortable identifying themselves/their labs as safe spaces to LGBTQ+ folx or identity-based groups.
This goes back to when people do not admit they do not know everything. There have been many times either in class or with my advisor I have said I do not understand something and then suddenly other people chime in that they also do not understand. It is scary to always be the first person to do that. I do not think this is necessarily because of the department but rather a product of schooling that scares people into staying quiet when they are confused. But it is something we also do not address in grad school.